[HousK  Bill,  No.       .] 

HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES,  Dec.  17,  1863.— Postponed, 
made  special  order  for  Monday  next,  and  ordered  to  be  printed. 


J^   33ILL 

To  be  entitle<l  An    Act  to  provide  for  wounde>l  and  disabled  officers 

and  soldierp. 

1  Section  1 .   The  Congress  of  the  Confederate  States  of  Amei  ica  do 

2  enact.  That  any  commissioned  or  non-commissioned  officer,  and 
i^     any  private  or  musician  in  the  service  Qf  the  Cenfederate  States, 

4  who,    after    examination    by    a    board    of    surgeons,    shall     be 

5  pronounced  permanently  disabled  to  perform  any  military    duty 
G     whatever,  by  reason  of  wounds  or   injuries   received,  or  disease 

7  manifestly  contracted  in  the  service,  and  in  the  line  of  his  duty, 

8  may  resi.i^n  hi.s  commission,  or  demand  his  discharge,  (as  the  case 
f)     may  be.)  or  continue  in  the  service,  a.s  he  may  prefer. 

1  ^       Six.  2.  That  if  such  officer  or  soldier  shall  elect  to  remain  in 

2  the  service,  \\v  shall,  so  long    as    such   disability    continue,    be 

3  considered  as  on  furlough,  but  shall  be  entitled  to  no   pay  what- 

4  ever,  unless  it  be  shown,  tp  the  satisfaction  of  the  Secretary  of 
'i  War,  that  he  is  rendered  unable  by  the  wound,  or  injury,  or 
♦!  dist»a^'\  'iforcsaid,  to  c;irn  a  livelihood  by  any    trado,  occupation. 


7  or  calling;  that  he   has  no  other  means   of  subsisteuco,  and  has 

8  not  been  otherwise  provided  for  by  the  Confederate,  by  any  State 

9  Government,  or  by  any  county,  parish,  city,  or  other  municipal 
1(1  body;  in  which  event,  he  shall  be  entitled  to  receive,  so  long  as 

11  such    disability   continues,  and   no   longer,    if    a  commissioned 

12  officer,  half  the  pay  proper;  if  a  non-commissioned  officer,  or  a 

13  private,  or   musician,  the  entire    pay    proper,   which    he  is  now 

14  entitled  to  receive,  but  without  any  emolument  whatever. 

1  Sec.  o.   That   any  non-commissioned  officer,  private  or  musi- 

2  cian,  who  may  have  heretofore  been  discharged  from  the  service 

3  on  account  of  wounds,  or  injuries  received,  or  disease,  manifestly 

4  contracted  in  the  service,  and  in  the  line  of  his  duty,  may  avail 

5  himself  of  the  benefits   conferred  by  this  act,  but,  in   that  case, 

6  he  shall  be  considered  as  having  re-enlisted,  and  shall  be,  in  all 

7  respects,  on  the  same  footing  as  those  who  had  resigned  prior  to 

8  the  passage  of  this  act. 

1  Sec.  4.  In   case   the  disability  of  any  officer  or  soldier,  who 

2  may   be   on   furlough    under  the  provisions  of  this  act,  should 

3  cease,  he  shall  le  immediately  ordered  on  duty. 

1  Sec.  5.  That  in  all  cases,  where  an  examination  by  a  board  of 

2  surgeons  may  be  necessary  to  carry  into  effect  the  provisions  of 

3  this  act,  the  Secretary  of  War  may  employ,  for  that  purpose,  any 

4  such  board  that  may  have  been  established  by  law,  or  may  appoint 

5  a  board,  or  boards,  for   that  special  purpose,  as  he  may  deem 


6  proper ;  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  said   Secretary  to  make  all 

7  regulations  that  may  be  necessary  to  carry  this  law  into  effect. 

8  to  prevent  fraund    or   imposition    on   the   Government,  and   to 

9  secure  the  pro^npt    return    to   duty  of  any  officer  on  furlough 
<0  under  this  act,  whose  disabilities  may  have  ceased. 


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